US military patrol blocked near Qamishlo

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A US convoy in Al-Da'doushiyah village was blocked by the pro-Syrian government National Defence Forces as it headed towards the M4 highway in the Qamishlo countryside, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) war monitor reported on Friday.

"No skirmishes between the two sides have been reported," the report said.

The Syria-based Rojava Media Centre also tweeted that the NDF prevented a US military convoy of four armored vehicles from going to the M4 international highway from Al-Da'doushiyah.

In #Qamishlo, members of the National Defense Forces (NDF) affiliated with the #Syrian regime prevented a #US military convoy of four armored vehicles from going to the M4 international highway from the village of Al-Da'doushiyah.#Rojava #Syria #Russia

— Rojava Media Center (@Rojava_Media) April 8, 2022

The US-led coalition has not mentioned the recent blocking of its patrols in northeast Syria.

Citing its activists, SOHR said coalition patrols were blocked by pro-Syrian government forces in Hasakah province on nine occasions in March alone. 

The US maintains a military presence in northeast Syria to support the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) against ISIS. 

Iran, Russia, and the Syrian government strongly oppose this presence and have reiterated calls for the US to leave Syria. 

However, the local partners of the US, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), have strongly supported the continued US presence.

"US forces specifically, who remain present in northeast Syria to assist in the fight against ISIS through local partners, experience on a very regular basis threats from Iran and Iran-backed proxies," said US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Defense for the Middle East Dana Stroul at the Wilson Center on Apr. 5. 

On Thursday, indirect fire from the areas under Syrian government control wounded four US service members in Syria's eastern Deir al-Zor province.

The Syrian state-controlled news agency, SANA, claimed the attack was carried out by "popular groups" opposing the US presence in Syria.

The US accuses Iranian-backed armed groups of launching regular attacks on its forces in both Iraq and Syria.

Assistant Secretary Stroul added that the coalition's goal in northeast Syria is to defeat ISIS. 

"But the reality is this is not going to be achievable in the short term, which is why we continue to emphasize in every policy and strategy document our commitment to maintaining US force presence in Iraq and in Syria," he said. 

There have also been tensions between the US-backed SDF and the Syrian government in the Deir al-Zor province. 

The east bank of the Euphrates river in Deir al-Zor is controlled by the SDF forces, while the Syrian government and its allies, including Iran-backed groups, control the west bank.

The SDF has especially cracked down on pro-Syrian government smuggling operations from the Syrian government-controlled area in Deir al-Zor.